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The Civic Design Center participated in a major project called Imagine Nashville that was completed to develop a “bold and inclusive vision for the future of the city.” Our team led the efforts to survey youth across the city and compare their hopes and dreams with those of Nashville adults. Our organization was awarded the Center for Non-Profit Management’s Salute to Excellence New Generations Award for our Dream City workshop that we conducted for this project.
Imagine Nashville shed light on something that concerned us. While 78% of adults believe they somewhat or strongly belong in Nashville, only 60% of youth agree that they belong here. The youth are concerned about the future with one of their top concerns being whether or not they will be able to afford to live here. Both youth and adults disagree that “growth is making things better.”
On top of this research, many identities in Nashville are being left behind. Beyond just income, communities that identify as seniors, LGBTQ+, and/or African American/Black reported feeling this way. More recent data from investigative reporting uncovered that hundreds of homeless Nashvillians are being policed in the Downtown area, which is a blatant demonstration of exclusion. In a divided political landscape and growing concerns about the wellbeing of our neighbors, our goal as an organization is to focus on bringing the community together so we can shape places for all. While that goal seems daunting, Tennessee’s culture of public service should incite inspiration for actionable change.
This event will feature a panel that includes representatives from our local non-profit partners and Nashville youth to not only discuss the overarching issue of belonging, but brainstorm planning and design solutions that could bring a beacon of hope into a time of darkness.
Participants
Moderator
Kaitlin Dastugue, COO of the Civic Design Center
Panelists
Cathy Carillo, Founder of ReMix TN
Robin Lovett Owen, Pastor and Urbanist
India Pungarcher, Associate Director of Advocacy for Open Table Nashville
Ivie Tran, Member of Nashville Youth Design Team